


Embrace Me

by Faustsama



Series: Embrace Me [1]
Category: Compilation of Final Fantasy VII, Final Fantasy
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-12
Updated: 2020-12-14
Packaged: 2021-03-11 03:46:57
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,292
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28028763
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Faustsama/pseuds/Faustsama
Summary: Trying my hand at writing my otp, a short little one shot I might turn into a story. Let me know what you think!
Relationships: Sephiroth/Cloud Strife
Series: Embrace Me [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2056839
Comments: 4
Kudos: 35





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I give Sephiroth no quoations, as I want to address him as "outworldy, godly." It doesn't show up her as italized, so please work with me as I try to fix this issue. Thank you for the support so far!

“Don’t Deny Me, Embrace Me.”

“I can’t breathe,” the youth tore at his neck, trying to catch some simbulance of oxygen, but the force came even harder, squashing any chance of expanding his lungs now. Long, silver strands brushed against Cloud’s face, following with lips caressing his left ear. 

You belong to me. 

“N-no,” Cloud sqat. 

A light chuckle, followed with more pressure. 

I am your reason to live. 

The leather glove around his neck burned his flesh, Cloud could feel even, cold breaths upon the side of his face. He opened his Mako blue eyes to find green, cat like opals meeting his, almost lifeless. 

I won’t ever let you go. 

“Seph..Sephiroth!”

“Hey, shut up in there!!” Loud banging on the wall opposite of Cloud’s bed startled the man out of bed. Cloud gripped out his neck, still feeling the weight of Sephiroth’s hand, tears streaming down his face. The banging stopped, but the thumping in Cloud’s head began. It always followed these nightmares. The bed was full of cold sweat, Cloud stumbled to the cramped bathroom, throwing up into the toilet. 

It was like this every night, it was so hard to get a full night’s sleep. No matter where Cloud went, the terrors followed him like a leech, sucking him dry of energy. How long had he been fighting? He could only manage to get two to three hours of sleep a night. Staying place to place, getting simple merc work to feed him. He refused to ask for help. Who could help? He dared not talk to anyone about a dead man raping his dreams on a regular basis. 

Now his old friend from Nibelheim, Tifa Lockhart, called him for a job in Sector 1 of Midgar. He hasn’t been back to Midgar since leaving SOLDIER. 

He pulled himself to the mirror, blonde hair matted and messy, he took off his briefs and climbed into the shower. He let the cold water run down his slender frame, running his hands through the knots. Cloud brought his right hand up to his neck, it still felt hot. 

You belong to me.

“I can’t run away anymore,” Cloud punched the wall, pain instantly echoing through his knuckles, but he preferred this pain. It was real. 

Sephiroth was dead. 

“I killed him. Threw him into the reactor. Stay dead.”

I’ll never be a memory.

“Stay fucking dead!” He sunk into a ball, the water hitting his chest now, as he relaxed his legs.


	2. Pawn Escapism

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Following the one shot, this chapter continues the story of Cloud Strife, would just arrived to Sector 7 Slums to help aid his childhood friend, Tifa Lockhart. He finds himself being tormented by nightmares and visions of arbiter of death, no matter how hard he tries to run away from his past. 
> 
> This will contain the beginning of the one shot, to make it a full story. I'll do my best to update weekly new chapters. This will follow the remake's story line.

“I can’t breathe,” the youth tore at his neck, trying to catch some simbulance of oxygen, but the force came even harder, squashing any chance of expanding his lungs now. Long, silver strands brushed against Cloud’s face, following with lips caressing his left ear. 

You belong to me. 

“N-no,” Cloud spat.. 

A light chuckle, followed with more pressure. 

I am your reason to live. 

The leather glove around his neck burned his flesh, Cloud could feel even, cold breaths upon the side of his face. He opened his Mako blue eyes to find green, cat like opals meeting his, almost lifeless. 

I won’t ever let you go. 

“Seph..Sephiroth!”

“Hey, shut up in there!!” Loud banging on the wall opposite of Cloud’s bed startled the man out of bed. Cloud gripped out his neck, still feeling the weight of Sephiroth’s hand, tears streaming down his face. The banging stopped, but the thumping in Cloud’s head began. It always followed these nightmares. The bed was full of cold sweat, Cloud stumbled to the cramped bathroom, throwing up into the toilet. 

It was like this every night, it was so hard to get a full night’s sleep. No matter where Cloud went, the terrors followed him like a leech, sucking him dry of energy. How long had he been fighting? He could only manage to get two to three hours of sleep a night. Staying place to place, getting simple merc work to feed him. He refused to ask for help. Who could help? He dared not talk to anyone about a dead man raping his dreams on a regular basis. 

Now his old friend from Nibelheim, Tifa Lockhart, called him for a job in Sector 1 of Midgar. He hasn’t been back to Midgar since leaving SOLDIER. 

He pulled himself to the mirror, blonde hair matted and messy, he took off his briefs and climbed into the shower. He let the cold water run down his slender frame, running his hands through the knots. Cloud brought his right hand up to his neck, it still felt hot. 

You belong to me.

“I can’t run away anymore,” Cloud punched the wall, pain instantly echoing through his knuckles, but he preferred this pain. It was real. 

Sephiroth was dead. 

“I killed him. Threw him into the reactor. Stay dead.”

I’ll never be a memory.

“Stay fucking dead!” He sunk into a ball, the water hitting his chest now, as he relaxed his legs. 

He dressed in his SOLDIER dreads, placing the Buster on his back, heading to meet Tifa at Seventh Heaven. The headache grew more intense as Cloud weaved in and out from the crowd; the armorer hocking his daily deal on throwing knives, local pharmacist deals on potions and Phoenix downs, children chasing after stray cats. This all seemed much more frantic than his time in Wutai. Nearly 2 yards away from the bar, a black specter raced across Cloud’s view, speeding over the crowd to the badlands. Cloud spun around, mouth agape, to find he was the only one who saw the ghost. The kids pointed at him, mothers pulled their children away, he could only imagine how he must have looked.

Cloud shook his head, “let’s add seeing bullshit to the list of crap on my plate,” he shrugged quietly. He climbed the stairs, pushing the double doors open to reveal a dimly lit bar, sparsely packed. Tifa had her back turned to him, looking to be cleaning a glass, ears perked when she heard the doors slam.

“Hey! Those doors are a bit old, could you not,..” spotting the merc, Tifa’s frown turned into a full blown smile. She felt kind of goofy, so she turned back around, patted her face with both hands, and met Cloud with a slightly less dewy grin. 

“Sorry,” the SOLDIER mumbled. Cloud dragged himself onto the barstool, Tifa could see the bloodshot whites of his eyes. Cloud rarely looked happy, he never smiled, unless he was for sure nobody noticed, but Tifa felt something was off. The space her landlord let him stay at was not the most comfy, sure, but was it this bad?

“Don’t be sorry, Cloud,” Tifa prepared a neat whiskey, sliding it over to the sunken man. He parted his lips to smile, but it didn’t reach his cheeks. 

“Maybe I can ask Jessie if we can find you more suitable arrangements up on the plate? I know, down here, sleep can be a bit rough...without seeing the sky..”

Cloud, keeping his false smile up, “no, Tifa, I’m grateful for what you found me. Just a rough night is all. It will pass.” Cloud took another sip, a pinkish hue flushing his cheeks. “Wonderful drink.”

Tifa blushed, she was happy to make him happy, in any capacity. Her childhood friend, how much she missed him. Yet, she felt she barely knew him. Cloud was always the shy boy, afraid to speak his truths, but always willing to help. He was so completely unselfish, that he forgets to ask for help. He had not mentioned Zack since his arrival in Midgar, she dare not bring it up. Nor would she bring up her father’s killer. 

She stretched, slouching over the bar, trying to shake off the feeling of dread. “So, ready for your first job? It’s a real doozy.” She chuckled a bit at Cloud’s slight head tilt, reminding her of a puppy. 

He downed the whiskey, with a huge pretend yawn, “bring it on, but...money up front.” 

Tifa pouted, “hey! Don’t be like that! Anywho, it’s the town pitching it for this one. Bo-ombs have been nesting outside of Sector 7, it’s where a lot of us go hunt for some semblance of meat. It won’t pay much, but it would get your name out there.”

“Here, I thought this would be tough.”

Tifa rolled her eyes, “the jobs will get tough, Barrett won’t strike the real deal until we see you in action.” Tifa moved right in front of Cloud, face closing in on his. Cloud averted his eyes, trying his best not to blush. “Start small, go big after. Mkay?” 

Cloud looked at her, fondly remembering their past in Nifelheim. How could he say no to those bright crimson eyes?

“I’ll do it,” he turned to face the arcade machine in the corner. He let himself relax now, Tifa’s joyous jump warmed him. “Need to dust off anyway.”

Five hours and 10 bulbous creatures down later, Cloud found himself 500 Gil richer. “Nothing to sneeze at,” he scuffed, but to see the citizens of Sector 7 Slums happy… “I guess it’s worth it.” He leaned his Buster sword to the wall opposite his bed, drenched his hair with some of the sink water, which smelled of rotten eggs. The water at Shrina HQ was nearly heavenly compared to this, even that was filtered badly. It would grow somber outside, as the plates obstructed any view of the stars above. Even if there were not those gigantic blockers, the smog of Shrina’s reactors would clog the heavens. 

Cloud had not lived in such extreme poverty before. Sure, it was just him and his mom in Nifelheim, but they got by. The water was clean, and could drink it nearly unfiltered. Cloud and Tifa would sneak away to the water treatment plant and stare at the constellations, talking about their futures. He thought about then, how he had just left her to pursue his dreams, “does she think I abandoned her?” 

He tried his best to keep himself away from the past, it was fuzzy since Shinra Manor….. 

“Stop,” Cloud whispered abruptly, “let’s not go there.”

Why not?

Cloud jumped, realizing he had dozed off while standing, nearly knocking his greatsword over. He brought himself to sit on the edge of the bed. “I can’t let myself sleep.”

Good luck with that.

“Fuck off,” Cloud shot up, he quickly grabbed his sword, and ran out to the vending machine two doors down from his apartment. He pushed Gil into the slot and out came two energy drinks, he felt a bit guilty about getting two, so he left one there. Leaning over the bannister, he gunned the drink quickly, feeling it burn down his throat. 

Sleep isn’t the only place I can reach you. 

He felt a feather run up his spine. He spun around fast, sword in hand, to face nothing but a blinded window. His breathing became uneven, sweat poured down his neck, drenching his turtleneck. 

I will consume you entirely. There is no escape from my grasp. 

“Leave me alone!” The yell shook his core, Cloud’s knees became so weak, it took all his strength to stand with his sword.

“Cloud? Cloud!” A neighboring door slammed open and Tifa rushed to his side, swinging underneath his right arm to hold him steady. 

“Tif..Tifa.” His eyesight went black with the thunderous claps of a migraine following suit.

Cloud opened his eyes to pure darkness, so silent that a Chocobo’s kweh would be thunderous. He tried to maneuver his arms and legs to no avail, they were tied separately, leaving him quartered, exposed. He realized he was shirtless, as the cold air coddled his flesh. He tried to yell, but no sound arose from his dry throat. It nearly felt so out of body, he retraced his steps quickly. He remembered Tifa’s warm skin, her lovely voice torn up with fear, to now finding himself alone.

But you’re not alone, you will never be alone. 

Sephiroth’s cool, even tone filled the abyss. His boots reverberated with every step they took, closing in on Cloud, almost taunting him to run. 

“Sephiroth,” the youth cried out, still incredibly muted. 

It’s wonderful to hear you say my name, Cloud, even better to see you looking up at me.

Sephiroth startled Cloud, leather boots rubbing against the latter’s rib cage on each side. Cloud could feel the dead man’s grey hair slide against his face, until he could feel his full weight on his chest, choking out air. 

It’s nearly time for our true reunion. But I couldn’t wait, I had to come see you again. Maybe I should visit you more often, regale of times we had once spent together. Of the times that we will be as one. 

Sephiroth hastley gripped Cloud’s slender throat, taking pleasure in the gagging that came after. He took off his other glove with his teeth, gently stroking the tearing face of his puppet. 

This planet yells for it’s savior. And you will be my chariot to bring forth my becoming. 

Cloud.

“Cloud!”

Cloud opened his eyes, to the yell of his name, a sharp “hmph” coming from Sephiroth.

They call for you, those dullards. Would they still call for you if they knew what I know? 

“Cloud, please!”

The whimpering broke Cloud’s heart, how badly he wished he could hold onto her light. Her aura came in and out of his sight, taking his pain away. 

Sephiroth gripped his face, Cloud could feel his lips upon his. Cold, yet smooth, demanding, yet gentle. 

Let’s do this again,

Sephiroth dragged his lips to Cloud’s ear, 

For now, I’ll let you continue to play your little game of house.


End file.
